19/10/2017 (Agence Europe) – After the internet-connected doll Cayla that spies on children (see EUROPE 11752), internet-connected watches were highlighted on Wednesday 18 October by the European consumer union bureau (BEUC) and ANEC, a consumer group for European legislation, as having severe safety faults that could harm children. A study published by the Norwegian consumer group that belongs to BEUC found that people unknown to parents can take control of the tested watches and use them to track and listen in to the children’s conversations. The EU must urgently set compulsory safety standards for internet-connected products, said Monique Goyens, the director of BEUC. Regretting that these toys infringe data protection legislation, ANEC secretary general Stephen Russel called for binding laws to protect ‘children, the most vulnerable of consumers.’ (AN)